ICMR picks Assam’s Demow Model for Rs 13.5-crore national snakebite research

Guwahati: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sanctioned a groundbreaking, four-year, multi-state research project totaling Rs 13.5 crore to tackle the devastating public health challenge of snakebite envenoming (SBE) in India.

The study, titled "Zero Snakebite Death Initiative: Community Empowerment & Engagement for Mitigation of Snakebite Envenoming," aims to develop a unified, replicable, and highly effective national model for prevention and management.

This extensive implementation research will span seven states, including Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand, and will be spearheaded by Dr. Jaideep Menon of Amrita Institute, Kerala, as the Principal Investigator.

In a significant recognition of local healthcare excellence, the Demow Model from Sivasagar, Assam, has been chosen as one of the key successful models to be scientifically studied and potentially scaled across the participating states.

The project will analyze and integrate proven regional strategies, including: Community Awareness, Volunteers & Participation (The Demow Model): focusing on robust community engagement and referral networks; Protective Equipment Distribution (Maharashtra Model): distributing personal protective gear to high-risk communities; Anti-Snake Venom (ASV) Injection during Transport (Himachal Pradesh Model): pioneering pre-hospital care by administering ASV in ambulances; and Digital Platforms (Kerala Model): utilizing digital tools for better coordination and real-time surveillance.

The research will be conducted under the banner of SARPA (Snakebite Awareness, Response, Prevention & Action). This integrated approach seeks to bridge the critical gap between affected communities and formal health systems, ensuring victims receive life-saving treatment within the crucial 'golden hour.'

For Assam, the study will focus on the Demow and Gelekey blocks of Sivasagar. Dr. Surajit Giri from Demow Hospital has been appointed as the Investigator for Assam on this project.

The research and community study are slated to begin in January 2026. ICMR has already allocated resources, including one research scientist and four technical staff members for each participating state, to ensure rigorous implementation and data collection.

This collaborative, multi-state effort seeks to produce high-quality implementation evidence to significantly reduce snakebite mortality and morbidity, addressing India’s disproportionately high burden of SBE, which is estimated at approximately 58,000 deaths annually.

The primary objective is to co-develop, pilot, and implement a composite model of community engagement for SBE prevention and mitigation.

Secondary objectives include assessing changes in awareness among all stakeholders (from community volunteers to doctors) and developing a real-time digital snakebite dashboard for data-driven surveillance.